Leaving You Weaker
by SmileyBearStories
Summary: A new influenza is making its way across Japan and Ritsu just happens to have caught it at the end of the period. How will Takano react to finding out Ritsu is sick and still trying to work?


Ritsu rubbed his throat. It was a bad habit he had picked up over the last three days, but he continued doing it in hope that it eased the pain even a little. He walked into the Emerald section of Murakawa Publishing, which looked as bad as he felt.

"Morning," he croaked, his voice raspy and faint.

"Morning, Ricchan," Kisa moaned from the desk beside him. Surely at this stage of the period no one would pick up on a few extra sneezes from the end of the desks. Unfortunately, it was the nose running like a tap that caused frequent nose blowing until the small plastic bin under the desk was a waterfall of snotty tissues that caused problems. Not to mention the puffy eyes that occasionally blurred over and left him blankly staring at the work in front of him as if his mind where on another planet. Then there was the shivering that made his editing corrections look like a five year old's masterpiece that would be hung on the fridge.

That day, while everyone was busy working, Takano had the generosity to buy them all lunch, after all, productivity would be reduced if they skipped lunch and passed out and he had to look after their work on top of his own. He placed a ham, cheese and tomato sandwich in front of Ritsu, who was staring at a manuscript in front of him with a blank expression.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked.

"Ah no, thanks for lunch," Ritsu replied in a flurry as he snapped out of his stare. His voice was harsh and crackled.

"Are you ok?" Takano asked, eyes straying to the pile of crumpled tissues building on the floor.

"Fine," Ritsu replied and pulled the sandwich towards himself. He gave a moist, crackly cough before opening the packet. Takano still wasn't convinced, but handed out the other sandwiches and returned to his desk. Ritsu shakily lifted the sandwich to his mouth and took a small bite. He chewed it thoroughly and then, with reluctance, swallowed. He winced as the sandwich scraped down his sore throat and irritated it. He scrunched up his nose with disagreement and replaced the sandwich in the container, pushing it away from him. He didn't really have much of an appetite anyway. Takano watched him as he pushed away the barely touched sandwich and then placed his forehead on the desk. The cold wood was like ice against his simmering forehead and it made him feel relaxed as the cool seeped into his overheated body with every pump of his heart. His weakened body seized the opportunity and his heavy eyelids slipped closed so that he could drift into sleep. Takano gave a slight frown, was Onodera sleeping on the job? He glanced at the other members of his department, Kisa was lying on his desk, with the phone to his ear, pleading with an author that was behind on her work and Hatori was drowning in a pile of papers, a frown creased across his face, then he picked up his phone and rang one of his authors. Takano watched as his frown turned to concern and his hands started piling up papers and stuffing them in his bag.

"Takano-san, permission to head out for today? Chiaki has caught that new influenza that's going around and he may not be able to finish the manuscript in time," Hatori explained, already standing and turning to leave.

"Yeah," Takano waved him off before turning his eyes back to Onodera. Influenza, huh? He dismissed it as just being that time of the period, hoping Onodera would have the common sense to stay home if he was very sick. Then he dove back into his work.

Ritsu woke up a little later and his heart skipped a beat as he realised he'd been sleeping at work. Surely he would get called useless again for that. He sat up quickly enough to make him dizzy, but started shifting things around his desk to get back into his work. He managed to pull a solid three hours of work, but as soon as he slowed down for five seconds to think about what to do next, exhaustion swamped him and a headache came beating down on his brain. He could barely stand it without passing out, when Takano grabbed his arm.

"We're going to a mangaka!" Takano ordered as he pulled Onodera from his chair and dragged him a few steps out of the office without stopping to warn him. Ritsu had not been ready for it. The sudden movement sent his head spinning and his vision blurred. His knees hadn't been ready for taking his weight either and after a few momentum forced, shaky steps, he collapsed.

"Onodera!" Takano spun as he lost his grip on Onodera and heard the thump that followed.

"Ricchan!" Kisa was suddenly alive and out of his chair.

Takano quickly knelt beside Ritsu and rolled him onto his side. Ritsu blinked twice and focused on Takano's face, but his eyes weren't really looking.

"You aren't ok, are you?" Takano demanded while helping Ritsu into a sitting position. His hand gently falling against Ritsu's forehead, but even without touching it, he could feel the heat escaping from it. Ritsu didn't reply, rather just stared at Takano lifelessly.

"Damn it! I'm taking you home," Takano announced and got to his feet, pulling Ritsu up with him, wrapping an arm around his waist for support and placing one of Ritsu's arms around his neck. The walk back to the apartment complex was far too slow, but Ritsu was puffing like a steam train before they even left the building and his energy levels were into the negatives. He felt like death walking, and he moved like a Zombie to match. Takano had to put in most of the effort to get them home, half carrying him there. Takano went straight to his own apartment, why bother trying to work out where Ritsu's keys were when he knew exactly where his own were? He dragged Ritsu into the bedroom and lifted him into the bed. He crashed immediately, falling into a deep sleep. Takano left to call the mangaka he had been going to see and inform her of the situation, then he returned with a washer and bowl of water. As soon as he opened the door he could hear the wheezing of Onodera's breathing. He was sure that wasn't good. He quickly placed a wet towel on his forehead and took his temperature, which was sitting at 38.9 degrees Celsius, much to high for a body temperature. He took off Onodera's thick coat and tucked him under the blankets. Then he took up a seat in the corner of the room and pulled out some manuscripts that the guys in the office had faxed him. He frequently re-moistened the towel on Ritsu's forehead and took his temperature every hour, not that it was getting any better. When Ritsu woke up, he managed to get the stubborn, but drowsy Ritsu to take some medicine. He also had two spoonful's of chicken soup. Ritsu didn't even realise who was looking after him or that he wasn't in his room he was so exhausted. He was not winning this battle.

The second time he woke up, the following day, he woke up and immediately threw up, sending him into an eruption of vomiting followed by a fit of crackly coughs that had him bringing up phlegm by the bucket load. Once he was finished, Takano scooped him up and carried him to the bathroom, stripping him of his clothes and sitting him under the warm water of the shower. He almost fell asleep sitting under the water; despite hours of sleep, he was weaker than a newborn fawn. Takano got him cleaned up, dressed in some too big flannelette pyjamas and carried him back to bed. He settled him down and tucked him into the sheets, even forcing him to take some more medicine, which he choked on, and then checked his temperature again. He stared at the beeping thermometer in shock for a few minutes. 39.7 degrees Celsius. Takano went into over drive. He dove down and scooped Ritsu up, pulling him out of the bed, the sheets trailing behind him as he ran out of the room, snatching his car keys on the way past. He flew to the elevator and stomped his foot in frustration that 25 seconds was not a quick enough time to get there. He raced Onodera to the car and buckled him in from the drivers seat before starting the engine and reversing out of his parking spot. He immediately headed for the hospital.

Everyone's eyes turned when a man burst through the A&E doors carrying a smaller man wearing blue, stripy pyjamas. He ran straight for the triage nurse. She quickly assessed the situation and took him into the admission room. She managed to calm Takano down a bit and got him to explain everything. Then she conducted her examination.

"Ok, it sounds like he has the new influenza that's going around, but in a severe case. We will admit him immediately," she informed and then led Takano to one of the beds, where he put down Onodera and then waited for a doctor to come. The doctor kicked Takano out into the waiting room while they tried to get Onodera comfortable. Then they came and got him to take him to the room where Onodera had been moved to, along with other influenza patients. Takano walked into the room and stopped in the doorway.

"Hatori?" he asked, staring at the back of his work colleague.

"Ah, Takano-san, sorry I haven't been at work. Chiaki was sick and tried to over work himself, so I had to bring him here," Hatori apologised.

"Don't worry about it," Takano dismissed and went over to sit beside Ritsu's bed. He looked helpless and more fragile than a butterfly amongst the white sheets. A drip had been connected to a cannula in his left arm and his face was flushed red. Every soft breath was accompanied by a wheeze and his face was scrunched as if in pain. As Takano held his hand, he felt himself getting warmer from the heat leaving the small hands. He didn't care what time of the period it was, he was not going to leave Ritsu's side for a second, partially from love, partially from fear of losing him. What a shame visiting hours have to end.

It took twelve days in hospital and another week at home before Onodera was well enough to come back to work, but he was never the same. Sometimes an illness can just leave you weaker than before. He got sick so easily all the time that he was almost permanently sick, and he was unable to escape Takano, who had become some kind of guard dog protecting his little lamb from everything. The slightest cough would send him into a tizzy.

"Leave me alone, Takano-san," Onodera snapped one day.

"I won't," he replied confidently, "I never want to see you so helpless and suffering ever again."


End file.
